Adaptimmune Cuts Ribbon on U.S. Headquarters at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia

Company Officially Opens Doors to New Base for Clinical and Manufacturing Operations

March 01, 2017 08:30 ET | Source:Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc

PHILADELPHIA and OXFORD, United Kingdom, March 01, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc. (Nasdaq:ADAP), a leader in T-cell therapy to treat cancer, today announced it will host a ribbon cutting ceremony this morning at 10:30am at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia to celebrate the opening of its newly constructed U.S. headquarters and base for clinical and manufacturing operations. Developed by Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LPT) and Synterra Partners, and under advisement of CBRE’s Life Science Advisory and Project Management Group, Adaptimmune’s 47,400 square foot facility, located at 351 Rouse Boulevard will include a state-of-the-art cGMP manufacturing facility designed to support the Company’s clinical development objectives and the initial commercialization of novel engineered immunotherapies for cancer. Adaptimmune’s Navy Yard facility currently houses 91 employees; this number is expected to grow to 120 by the end of 2017.

“The opening of this new building, which was designed to house both our US headquarters and our future state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, underscores our continued commitment to Philadelphia and the region, as well as our unwavering focus on delivering important cell therapy products to cancer patients,” said James Noble, Chief Executive Officer of Adaptimmune. “This new facility supports the advancement of our promising pipeline through scalable, cost-effective, clinical and commercial manufacturing. We appreciate the efforts of our development partners to deliver this facility on schedule and look forward to being an active part of the Navy Yard community for years to come.”

Announced in October 2015, this project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the Governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania, and received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic development that included a Pennsylvania First Program grant for $150,000.

“It’s an honor to participate in Adaptimmune’s ribbon cutting event today for the company’s new headquarters and manufacturing expansion at the Navy Yard, in Philadelphia. Along with this growth, we are thrilled that Adaptimmune has committed to the creation of 110 new, high-paying, full-time jobs at this site,” said Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin. “Governor Tom Wolf’s 2017-18 budget proposal is focused on job creation and workforce training so that we can ensure that businesses all across the Commonwealth can experience celebrations like today.”

Adaptimmune launched its US operations in Philadelphia in 2011. The Company expanded its programs while operating out of the University City Science Center, Philadelphia.

“I am proud that Philadelphia continues to attract pioneering companies around the world like Adaptimmune to put roots down in our city and grow,” says City of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “We’re thrilled to join Adaptimmune today to cut the ribbon on its cutting-edge facility at the Navy Yard, and celebrate their continued growth and creation of jobs in Philadelphia.”

The Navy Yard is a proud landmark of the Navy’s history and heritage in Philadelphia. It has been revitalized as an urban mixed-use campus, offering an exceptional workplace to attract new talent for companies like Adaptimmune.

“Since their founding collaboration with a research lab at the University of Pennsylvania, through the launch of their initial U.S. operations at the University City Science Center, and now with the opening of their own headquarters and manufacturing facility at The Navy Yard, Adaptimmune has made Philadelphia the center of their innovation in life sciences,” said John Grady, President of PIDC, Philadelphia’s public-private development corporation. “We are thrilled to welcome Adaptimmune to the Navy Yard’s vibrant and collaborative campus, adding to the growing community of life sciences and corporate R&D facilities setting down roots here to attract the best talent and drive growth.”

Designed by Philadelphia-based architectural firm, DIGSAU, the building incorporates a two-story day-lit lobby, which connects and integrates Adaptimmune’s clinical and operation functions and helps to foster collaboration throughout facility. The building lobby is oriented around a semi-private outdoor plaza designed by Land Collective creating an open, environment visually and physically connected to the rest of the Navy Yard. Continuing the building will be the thirteenth building at the Navy Yard to achieve LEED® certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, targeting Gold under the Core & Shell™ rating system.

“Today the Navy Yard welcomes Adaptimmune, a dynamic company that will add immeasurable talent and energy to one of the fastest growing life science clusters in the country,” said Brian Cohen, vice president and market officer for Liberty Property Trust. “Liberty designed and developed the new building to suit this innovative spirit and provide a new home that is forward-thinking in both form and function.”

CBRE’s Life Science Advisory and Project Management Group assisted Adaptimmune during the construction phase of the project.

“CBRE is honored to be here today and officially welcome Adaptimmune to the Philadelphia Navy Yard after having helped them secure their new U.S. headquarters back in October of 2015,” said Tony Rossi, Life Science Advisor, of CBRE. “We are proud of our Project Management Team that was instrumental in helping Adaptimmune transition smoothly into their new headquarters.”

About AdaptimmuneAdaptimmune is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel cancer immunotherapy products. The Company’s unique SPEAR (Specific Peptide Enhanced Affinity Receptor) T‑cell platform enables the engineering of T-cells to target and destroy cancer, including solid tumors. Adaptimmune has a number of proprietary clinical programs, and is also developing its NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell program under a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with GlaxoSmithKline. The Company is located in Philadelphia, USA and Oxfordshire, U.K. For more information, please visit http://www.adaptimmune.com

About PIDCPIDC is Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation. A non-profit founded in 1958 by the City of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, PIDC’s mission is to spur investment, support business growth, and foster developments that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive growth to every corner of Philadelphia. Over the past 59 years, PIDC has settled over 6,900 transactions with a diverse range of clients – including nearly $15 billion of financing and more than 3,100 acres of land sales – which have leveraged over $26 billion in total investment and assisted in retaining and creating more than half a million jobs in Philadelphia.

In its master developer role at the Navy Yard, PIDC manages all aspects of the property’s management and development, including master planning, leasing, property management, infrastructure development, utility operation, and structuring development transactions. The Navy Yard is home to more than 13,000 employees and 150 companies in the office, industrial, manufacturing, and research and development sectors, occupying 7.5 million square feet of real estate in a mix of historic buildings and new high-performance and LEED® certified construction. For more information about PIDC and the Navy Yard, visit www.PIDCphila.com and follow us @PIDCphila @NavyYardPhila on Twitter.

About Liberty Property TrustLiberty Property Trust (NYSE:LPT) is a leader in commercial real estate, serving customers in the United States and United Kingdom through the development, acquisition, ownership and management of superior office and industrial properties. Liberty's 99 million square foot portfolio includes 568 properties, which provide office, distribution and light manufacturing facilities to 1,200 tenants. At the Navy Yard, Liberty, in connection with its joint venture partner, Synterra Partners, has developed or is under construction on more than 1,580,000 million square feet representing $360 million in private investment to date. For more information visit www.libertyproperty.com and follow us @LibPropTrust on Twitter.

About SynterraSynterra Partners is a local real estate development company founded in 1996. The firm has an extensive portfolio of projects that include hotels and resorts and commercial and retail developments, both domestic and international. Synterra Partners has earned its extraordinary reputation by working successfully with public and private organizations to create innovative strategies for complex development projects.

About PIDCPIDC is Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation. A non-profit founded in 1958 by the City of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, PIDC’s mission is to spur investment, support business growth, and foster developments that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive growth to every corner of Philadelphia. Over the past 57 years, PIDC has settled over 6,500 transactions – including $13 billion of financing and 3,000 acres of land sales – which have leveraged over $23 billion in total investment and assisted in retaining and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in Philadelphia.

In its master developer role at The Navy Yard, PIDC manages all aspects of the property’s management and development, including master planning, leasing, property management, infrastructure development, utility operation, and structuring development transactions. The Navy Yard is home to more than 11,500 employees and 145 companies in the office, industrial, manufacturing, and research and development sectors, occupying 7.0 million square feet of real estate in a mix of historic buildings and new high-performance and LEED® certified construction. For more information about PIDC, visit www.PIDCphila.com and follow us @PIDCphila on Twitter

Forward-Looking StatementsThis release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, and include, without limitation: the success, cost and timing of our product development activities and clinical trials and our ability to successfully advance our TCR therapeutic candidates through the regulatory and commercialization processes. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to our business in general, we refer you to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 10, 2016, and our other SEC filings. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made and we do not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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